I know that, back in June, McLaren were also considering switching to a pull rod system for 2013 so maybe there are advantages to be had?

Misplaced sarcasm, maybe I should have included a smiley. As Timstr posted, the front pull-rod solution was analyzed pre-season last year right from the time when the first drawings surfaced of the Ferrari F2012. It comes with a slightly lower CoG. So there are advantages to be had, obviously. It is a tiny piece in the mosaic of a design though, I hope they get their act together finally.

The issue with finding time for me when it comes to Mercedes, is that it was clear they were already being outclassed by the midfield cars (Force India, Williams, Sauber) towards the end of the season. It's nice MGP is coming out to try and set a high bar with their improvements, but it can be counterproductive for 2013 if it turns out they suffer from the same issues that plagued 2012. They would have been better off tempering expectations by aiming for the midfield teams first since they had their hands full there. Aiming for Red Bull territory is foolish since all it does is raise expectations to a high level that is going to work against them if they don't meet them.

this doesnt make much sense.... absolutely solving the issues they had in 2012 is the only way they can find the time they are looking for.

And with the team and drivers they have, aiming for anything but Red Bull territory is unacceptable.... another season leading the midfield is gonna be another year of failure.

Nice that it potentially could all click into place in 2013... Im not going to hold my breathe though, most season Mercedes start well. The first 4 fly aways are IMO Lewis best chance of a race win this season.

Nice that it potentially could all click into place in 2013... Im not going to hold my breathe though, most season Mercedes start well. The first 4 fly aways are IMO Lewis best chance of a race win this season.

to be honest, dont know what to expect....

with all the tech n team they have in place, its not impossible to have a Renault 2012 like car....

but given what we've actually seen, shouldn't hold my breath for that.

The article says according to "rumors", Aldo Costa has been reviewing the suspensions and the Mercedes will have a Pull-rod front suspension(copied from Ferrari) and a Pull-rod rear suspension(inspired by the RB one).

The article says according to "rumors", Aldo Costa has been reviewing the suspensions and the Mercedes will have a Pull-rod front suspension(copied from Ferrari) and a Pull-rod rear suspension(inspired by the RB one).

I think Brawn has said that the new suspension will be easier to adapt than the type suspension designs they've gone for in the past.
To me this is worrying, back in 2010 Mercedes had issues with their tyres at the beginning of the season. I remember Ross Brawn saying that they didn't have the space or flexibility to change the suspension how they'd like in order to get the tyres working correctly. This was meant to have been rectified with a B-spec car mid season. I'm wondering why Mercedes don't seem to be learning lessons from previous mistakes, it seems to have taken them three years to work out that the suspension they've designed might not work correctly out of the box and that it might need to be modified so they should leave themselves some wiggle room.

I think Brawn has said that the new suspension will be easier to adapt than the type suspension designs they've gone for in the past. To me this is worrying, back in 2010 Mercedes had issues with their tyres at the beginning of the season. I remember Ross Brawn saying that they didn't have the space or flexibility to change the suspension how they'd like in order to get the tyres working correctly. This was meant to have been rectified with a B-spec car mid season. I'm wondering why Mercedes don't seem to be learning lessons from previous mistakes, it seems to have taken them three years to work out that the suspension they've designed might not work correctly out of the box and that it might need to be modified so they should leave themselves some wiggle room.

Not sure how this is worrying.

1. The B spec car of 2010 was based on what was left of the 2009 design team.2. I would venture to imagine that the revised car's wheelbase and geometry was lengthened if I recall correctly.. That was a major adjustment and I think it was necessary.3. Timstr11's post below hit the nail right on the head.

The new suspension geometry is being designed by someone else (Mr. Costa) who may implement their ideas and direction differently.

Considering the essential importance to get these tyres operating within the correct window I think this is an area that requires a suspension design that allows for maximum adjustability even if other smaller areas of the chassis design are penalized.

When we finally get the situation managed properly then we can make the design a bit more efficient and "remove the slack" so to speak as the season progresses.

For this season I think Mercedes really need to focus on Aero (General and specialized), Engine (traction, maps), and Tyres through the suspension. And fix the rest once those three areas are brought under control.

I think Brawn has said that the new suspension will be easier to adapt than the type suspension designs they've gone for in the past. To me this is worrying, back in 2010 Mercedes had issues with their tyres at the beginning of the season. I remember Ross Brawn saying that they didn't have the space or flexibility to change the suspension how they'd like in order to get the tyres working correctly. This was meant to have been rectified with a B-spec car mid season. I'm wondering why Mercedes don't seem to be learning lessons from previous mistakes, it seems to have taken them three years to work out that the suspension they've designed might not work correctly out of the box and that it might need to be modified so they should leave themselves some wiggle room.

That was a weight distribution/wheelbase issue.Not a limiting factor now as we now have a fixed weight distribution.

I kind of think he will enjoy himself immensely. Not just the first drive, but the whole season, and the experience of driving for another team, and especially driving for Brawn. It has done wonders to JB. I am not especially a fan of his, but I look forward to next season. I think they will push each other with NR pretty much. He could be in the making, let's see how far he gets.

Discussion of whether Lewis can win the WDC has been moved to here. This thread is about the car and it's technical development through the year. If you wish to discuss the drivers, other teams, or general rule changes, this is not the thread for you.

The WO3 had potential. We saw that early on in the season. However, the way Mercedes developed that car is shocking, just shocking. They were half a second ahead of the pack in China, yet some 4 seconds slower in America. Nuff' said.

Compared to 2012, the 2011 and 2010 cars were actually pretty decent. At least they were comfortably 4th-5th best throughout the season. Their superior drivers line-up (compared to the midfield teams) made the difference.

Let's hope for Lewis, Nico and Brackley; that 2013 will be more 2009 and less 2012.

Autosport reporting they're still evaluating passive DRS. I guess they have a head-start in this. Brawn saying it's probably not much of an advantage apart from at specific tracks......... Hmmmmm.........

...Chinese newspaper website has maintained the Asian country is considering buying a stake in German car and truck maker Daimler. It would be another move by Beijing to invest foreign exchange reserves.

...The website of the official People's Daily newspaper said "an insider confirmed that the China Investment Corporation (CIC) is going to buy 4-10 percent of shares in Daimler."

...Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche had said in recent interview for the Börsen-Zeitung newspaper that remaining attractive for potential investors had been part of the company's long-term strategy. "Generally speaking, we intend to lure long-term investors, and investors from China are also welcome," Zetsche said.

Mercedes can really catch up with a team like Ferrari. I think the changes made to the team are a indeed a real positive step. Everything point to them contending at the top within the next 2 - 3years. I wont certainly rule them out this year to be in the mix. I give them as much a chance as Renault had last year.

Mercedes can really catch up with a team like Ferrari. I think the changes made to the team are a indeed a real positive step. Everything point to them contending at the top within the next 2 - 3years. I wont certainly rule them out this year to be in the mix. I give them as much a chance as Renault had last year.

So you can say, that last season they got one pole position, the same amount as Ferrari and arguably should have had two.

They won their first race on merit since officially becoming Mercedes

After a drastic cut in personal they've spent the past two years building up numbers, and the recent appointments of Elliot to head of aerodynamis along with earlier appointements such as that of Costa suggest an ambition to improve.

Mercedes poor in season development was down to the loss of their head of aerodynamics, a upgrade of the wind tunnel mid season, and a change in focus to 2013.

So when you say facts, you must only mean selective facts, because they certainly don't all indicate that.

Mercedes can really catch up with a team like Ferrari. I think the changes made to the team are a indeed a real positive step. Everything point to them contending at the top within the next 2 - 3years. I wont certainly rule them out this year to be in the mix. I give them as much a chance as Renault had last year.

So you can say, that last season they got one pole position, the same amount as Ferrari and arguably should have had two.

They won their first race on merit since officially becoming Mercedes

After a drastic cut in personal they've spent the past two years building up numbers, and the recent appointments of Elliot to head of aerodynamis along with earlier appointements such as that of Costa suggest an ambition to improve.

Mercedes poor in season development was down to the loss of their head of aerodynamics, a upgrade of the wind tunnel mid season, and a change in focus to 2013.

So when you say facts, you must only mean selective facts, because they certainly don't all indicate that.

They won and got a pole because of the tyre lotery, as williams won, as sauber should have won, as force india could have won... Means nothing.

They won and got a pole because of the tyre lotery, as williams won, as sauber should have won, as force india could have won... Means nothing.

Is that another fact?

They qualified third at both Aus and Mal, races proceeding China and it was Schumacher having both a gearbox failure, and being knocked into a spin, that prevented them from getting good results, furthermore but for a series of rather unfortunate events I estimated that Schumacher would have been in the title hunt for at least the first part of the season. Schumacher was also the fastest man at Monaco, and likely would have gone on to win the race had he not suffered a penalty.

Mercedes dip in form appears to be explained more by a lack of in-season development (the reasons outlined above), and developmental dead ends resulting from the interlinked suspension and DDRS than any relative loss in performance from other teams suddenly figuring out the tyres.

They qualified third at both Aus and Mal, races proceeding China and it was Schumacher having both a gearbox failure, and being knocked into a spin, that prevented them from getting good results, furthermore but for a series of rather unfortunate events I estimated that Schumacher would have been in the title hunt for at least the first part of the season. Schumacher was also the fastest man at Monaco, and likely would have gone on to win the race had he not suffered a penalty.

Mercedes dip in form appears to be explained more by a lack of in-season development (the reasons outlined above), and developmental dead ends resulting from the interlinked suspension and DDRS than any relative loss in performance from other teams suddenly figuring out the tyres.

Its good to see your faith in the team, and trust me I would love for them to actually improve so they dont waste another top driver´s time. As for me, I have zero confidence of improvement, and frankly I think mercedes will leave the sport sooner rather than later.

They went to a larger scale windtunnel during the season, and changed hands on the team. This was explained by Brawn on autosports home page. With them using 60% windtunnel scale they're aero development should be better correlated to the track this season.